Riding a Mountain Bike
Learn what mountain biking is all about.

Mountain Bike Courses

Mountain biking is a sport/recreational activity that has grown considerably over the past 20 years or so. People nowadays spend a few thousand dollars on the sport, even if they are able to enjoy it only on holidays or over the weekends. Those who are just getting into mountain biking will have to know that there are many types of mountain bike courses. Each course or trail type will offer a different level of excitement and will also require a different set of skills. Some will be very demanding while some will allow you to pick up the sport in just a matter of days or even hours. Please find a brief description of some of the most popular mountain bike courses below. Downhill These mountain bike courses are sometimes simply known as DH courses or DH trails. As the name suggests, the primary objective in this sport is to use your mountain bike to ride down a plane of a hill or mountain. The steepness will vary from course to course, with some DH trails providing you with jumps that will even be about 50 feet long, taking you air borne to a height of more than 12-15 feet. Downhill courses are generally not recommended for beginner level mountain bikers. Cross Country Most beginners and newbies who get into [...]

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Mountain Bike Manufacturers

Mountain biking has become a very popular sport now, with people willing to spend thousands of dollars on super-sturdy, high performance mountain bikes that will give them the best chance to enjoy their mountain biking experience. This healthy demand has ensured that the market has a number of high quality mountain bike manufacturers. Below, we have briefly talked about the top 5 mountain manufacturers in the world, based purely on their popularity levels with the public. Trek Trek has a fantastic range of road, mountain and town bikes as well. They are probably most well known for their mountain bikes though. With close to 100 bikes in their mountain biking portfolio, you will definitely find a bike that will match your needs, your budget and special personal preferences. Their mountain bikes are broadly classified into bikes that are specifically made for cross country trails, single-track trails, technical trails, gravity trails, sport trails and dual sport trails. Most of their mountain bikes are 10 speed bikes although you can also get 9 speed, 8 speed, 7 speed, 6 speed and even single speed bikes if you want them. All Trek mountain bikes are manufactured in the United States of America. Trek have a special line of bikes that are branded as the Gary Fisher Collection and they are a hot favorite [...]

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How to Mountain Bike – Understanding the Basics

Here is a quick crash course on how to mountain bike. Safety equipment and gear First off, you want to be well equipped for a mountain bike ride. It is very important for both safety and performance reasons. You will need a fitted helmet to protect your head, good gloves for grip and also shoes that will give you a steady footing on your pedals. A body suit is also recommended although it is not absolutely mandatory, especially on easy mountain biking trails. Whatever you do, please don’t wear loose clothing when going out for mountain biking. The last thing you want is to get your shirt or pants get caught in the drive train on in a tree somewhere along the trail. Doing an ABC check on your bike Before heading out on any mountain bike trail, you must first do the ABC check on your bike. “A” stands for air pressure on the tires. It will usually be a number that is about 35 PSI although it can vary, depending on the trail and the type of bike that you have. It will also vary with the weight of the rider. “B” stands for brakes. Always make sure that your brakes are in top condition. Both front and rear brakes must be tested. Never go out riding if [...]

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Mountain Bike Clubs – How to Find Them

Mountain biking is a great sport that is generally enjoyed in groups. Though some people like solitude when they explore the outdoors with mountain bikes, most of the mountain bikers out there like to have a friend tag along for the ride. If you don’t have friends who are into mountain biking, you can still find some great company by trying to look up some mountain bike clubs in your locality. We will give you some tips on how to find such mountain bike clubs. Referrals from the bike shop There is no better place to find out about mountain bike clubs than to ask at your local mountain bike store. The people there always work with clubs and communities that are actively involved in mountain biking and they might even be able to get you a good discount if they send you as a referral. Offline searches Open up your yellow pages to find mountain bike clinics or MTB clubs. There are many across the nation and there is a good chance that there is one that is not too far away from your area of residence. Such clinics will usually charge you fees to train you in mountain biking although they can be well worth the money for riders who are just starting out. Not only will you [...]

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Moab Mountain Biking

Moab, Utah, a small city with a population of just 5,000, is home to one of the most prolific natural mountain biking trails. Many mountain bikers consider Moab mountain biking trails to be equivalent to paradise, in terms of the stunning beauty and diversity that the trails can offer. Moab mountain biking rides There are some very popular trails at Moab mountain biking and we have given you a sneak peek into some of the most popular trails there, enjoyed by thousands of mountain biking enthusiasts who travel long distances, just to ride in the beautiful and challenging terrain. The courthouse loop This is a great trail to go on if you are a beginner at mountain biking. The singletrack terrain is relatively harmless, with only a few small challenges. However, you do get to enjoy the beauty of mountain biking in a terrain that overlooks a beautiful national park, in the form of the Arches National Park. You will be able to see the famous giant rock that is precariously balanced in Arches National Park, while on this trail. This can be a great trail to explore with the entire family. Biking tour companies that arrange tours to this trail will usually charge you about $85 or so ($65 if you have your own bike) to take you to [...]

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Mountain Bike Skills

Good mountain bike skills are something that comes with practice. Even if you are a natural, you will have to hone your skills on practice courses or simulated environments before you try to participate in tournaments or ride on courses that have a high difficulty level. We will now try to give you some general tips on how to hone your mountain bike skills. Safety first Before you try mountain biking, please get yourself a helmet, gloves and shoes. If possible, you must also purchase a body suit although that can wait if you are training in fairly innocuous terrain. At the least, try to wear full sleeve clothing, even if you are practicing in easy terrain. Having the right equipment will give you the confidence to improve your mountain biking skills. Mountain biking is a pretty dangerous sport and can result in a number of injuries, especially when someone is just learning the ropes of the sport. Control over the pedals Whether your bike uses toe clip or clipless pedals, you need to be extremely comfortable in getting on and off. Try to pedal around at slow speeds and take one foot off the pedals and then do the same for the other foot. Another thing that you must practice is to keep the pedals parallel to the ground, [...]

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How to Choose Trail Mountain Bikes

We will quickly talk to you about how you can choose good trail mountain bikes. Mountain biking is the kind of sport where the quality and technical specifications of your equipment, in this case the bike, really makes a dramatic difference to how quickly you learn the sport and how well you excel at it. Choosing between hardtails and full suspension bikes Bikes that do not have any kind of suspension in the back are called hardtail mountain bikes. Though they might sound like an undesirable bike, the truth is that a hardtail mountain bike can actually be a great way for you to begin with trail mountain biking. Since you don’t have any suspension in the back, you will be forced to use your body to balance and control the bike, thereby allowing you to gain precision control over your bike, as you use it several times. Hardtails are also great because they are generally cheaper, by several hundred dollars, since suspension systems are quite expensive. You can essentially buy a Grade A hardtail bike for the same amount of money that you will need to spend on a Grade B full suspension trail mountain bike. In that way, you have great value for money when you buy hardtail bikes. Of course, some trails that have steep jumps will [...]

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